Attacking arrivals are on the horizon at Newcastle United. The club may have bolstered their backline in recent weeks but they remain at the negotiating table as they eye targets further up the pitch.
A plethora of names have been linked with Newcastle in recent weeks, including exciting French winger Moussa Diaby. The Bayer Leverkusen flyer set the Bundesliga on fire last term and has firmly put himself in the shop window this summer.
Put simply: Moussa Diaby joining Newcastle would be the most exciting addition on Tyneside for a long, long time. The Magpies would be transformed overnight with a player of his ilk arriving under Eddie Howe.
Diaby has it all. He can play down the right, on the left or drift through the middle. He can use both feet and is fearless when taking on players. He netted 17 goals and added 14 assists in his 42 appearances last term. He is a future superstar in the making.
There are similarities between the 22-year-old and his French counterpart Allan Saint-Maximin. Both like to dribble at opponents, at times making them look stupid. However, Diaby is already on a whole different level to Newcastle's fan-favourite.
“We don’t talk about Saint-Maximin as a top player here,” Christophe Larcher, a journalist at France Football magazine told The Athletic. “We know he is very gifted, but he is seen as selfish and not intelligent on the ball. He needs to fit into the team if Didier Deschamps, the France coach, is going to pick him. He simply hasn’t done enough.”
Contrast that to the words spoken by France national team manager Didier Deschamps when talking about Diaby, and you can see why so many teams fancy signing the former PSG youngster. "He is able to evolve in different positions. In his club, he plays a little more on the sides. This year, it's a little more to the left than to the right, with freedom too," Deschamps said this year.
"He has the option of using both feet. He is versatile, in addition to his ability to accelerate, he is rather skilful, he has a large volume of play. This desire that he has, the France team needs players of this type there too. What he did was pretty interesting when he was brought in."
Leverkusen, naturally, want to keep their bright talent in Germany. Champions League qualification has certainly aided their cause this summer. However, the Bundesliga side seem to have softened their transfer stance in recent days.
"I'm optimistic about Moussa that he will play here next season but when clubs with incredibly large financial opportunities bid for such a player, we have to sell a top player at some point," Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes admitted last week.
This is a huge change in tact given the same director was essentially ruling out a sale just weeks ago. Still, it will take a huge bid to secure Diaby's services this summer.
Newcastle have already spent £50m on defensive assets this summer and it will probably take the same amount to bring the winger to Tyneside before September. The Magpies are keen to keep the costs down and will need to loosen the purse strings and shift some deadwood to make a deal possible in the coming months.
Diaby has previously spoken of his desire to play Champions League football. He also recently admitted his dream club was Real Madrid. As such, it will take a lot of graft to get this one over the line for Newcastle.
Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes joining will aid the Magpies' pursuit greatly. But all those signings will be dwarfed in significance if Newcastle can get a deal for Diaby done.
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